Earlier this year, on 18th May to be exact, I visited the Japanese Garden at Cowra for the first time. The months leading up to the autumn had been wetter than usual, so the garden was looking its absolute best. I thought I'd share with you some of the photos that I took on the day.
First, though, a brief history of the Japanese Garden:
THE JAPANESE GARDEN AND CULTURAL CENTRE, COWRA NSW.
The magnificent Japanese Garden and Cultural Centre was erected on a 5-hectare site as a symbol of the historical ties between Cowra and Japan. It was funded by the Australian and Japanese governments and by private donations but is maintained on a non-profit basis by tourism.
The garden was designed by Ken Nakajima, a world-renowned figure in traditional Japanese landscape gardening, in liaison with the School of Environmental Design from Canberra College of Advanced Education.
Mr Nakajima has written that "The Japanese treasure nature and try to live with it. My Cowra garden takes this principle into consideration as a 'motto' and treasures all existing objects. In this respect, you will note that all gum trees and rocks on the site have been utilised in their original state".
The garden was designed to reflect the total Japanese landscape. The mountain represents all Japanese mountains. A stream flows down the mountain through a waterfall to a lagoon (representing the mountain ponds) and on to a larger koi-filled lake which equates with the ocean. Japan's cities are represented by the buildings, trimmed hedges suggest rolling hills and each gravel path offers new perspectives to convey the variety of views when meandering through the Japanese landscape. The garden was also designed to blend in with the indigenous environs, consequently gum trees surround the garden.
A traditional tea house sits on an island. There are wooden footbridges, a wisteria pergola, a bonsho (calling bell), a temple lantern, a lookout over Cowra and the Lachlan Valley, manicured shrubs and lawns and a delicate and symbolic arrangement of rocks. The 113 species of flora includes water lilies, cherry trees, wisteria, chrysanthemums, magnolia and Australian natives and there are over 120 bird species in the garden. The overall effect is one of serenity and harmony.
Traditional Japanese design has been employed in the construction of the Cultural Centre which houses a display of Japanese art including the Somenishiki Ornamental Vase, 500 hand-carved Japanese dolls, Nanga paintings and a fossilised chrysanthemum estimated to be over 70 million years old.
Within the complex is the Bonsai House (with Bonsai display), a pottery house, a gift shop, a nursery, and the Chabana Restaurant, which fuses Japanese and Australian elements and furnishes views over the garden. In the car park is a Japanese rock sculpture which symbolises peace.
In early October, when the cherry blossoms bloom, the centre becomes the focus of Sakura Matsuri, the Cherry Blossom Festival during which there are demonstrations of Japanese arts and crafts, recitals on the shakuhachi flute, tea ceremonies, martial arts demonstrations, kite flying and Japanese food. The complex is open from 8.30 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. daily.
As with all images, click on an image and the full-size image is shown very quickly. I recommend you do that with the three panoramic ones, as you will see them as they are meant to be seen.
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| Pond and hedges |
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| Pond and colourful hillside |
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| Pond, viewing platform and hillside. This image comprises 11 shots sewn together by Photoshop. |
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| Koi in one of the ponds |
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| Possibly the most beautiful part of the Japanese Garden |
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| Two images were joined together to obtain this panoramic view of the Japanese Garden. |
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| Small falls (a trickle, really) and hillside, with the teahouse at the top. |
